By Lucinda Sowerbutts | Head of OSCAR International
OSCAR children are very proud to be sponsored. It inspires them to perform well at school, take part in the OSCAR programmes and to be role models in their community. The kids know their sponsors by name and love to put photos on their wall. They take pride in sending welcome and update videos and always keen to share their achievements. We know from experience that our sponsored children and their family feel protected and valued. Sunita, our Child Sponsorship co-ordinator was raised and still lives in a Mumbai slum and was fortunate to be sponsored as a child. (She now has an MBA!) Her own experience makes her ideally placed to identify the most vulnerable kids. Sunita runs the programme sensitively and efficiently and it is largely due to her hard work the programme continues to go from strength to strength, but with over 3,000 children, we do urgently need more sponsors!
Child Sponsorship is a vital part of the OSCAR fundraising campaign and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has become even more important. Regular donors create the sustainability OSCAR needs to confidently plan for the future and to develop and expand the programmes. Throughout 2020 and 2021, the families of sponsored children have received regular food rations. During the strict lockdown the team communicated via WhatsApp, providing educational, physical and recreational content. It was wonderful to see so many children, siblings and even parents joining in. When lockdown measures are relaxed, the kids have access to the fully equipped OSCAR Digital Learning Centres, now open in several locations across Mumbai.
Child Sponsorship is a proven long-term solution to the systemic problem of kids from deprived communities not attending school. Schools remain closed in India, so it is even more important to ensure the boys and girls use the DLCs and keep up with their education. In particular we are focussing on our girls, who due to the financial hardships created by the pandemic are more at risk of dropping out.
We are immensely proud of all OSCAR children, who are eager to learn, to perform well and make you proud.
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